Samsung Zeal Review

The Samsung Zeal is now available from Verizon Wireless, but much like Verizon did with the U740/Alias, the Zeal is simply a renamed Alias 2, including a shared U750 model number. That Verizon would reintroduce this phone over a year and a half after its initial launch speaks to just where we are in the market right now. While smartphones are simultaneously redefining what you can do with a mobile device, as well as seeping into the entry level market (LG Optimus One, Samsung Galaxy 5) feature phones are getting lost in the fray.

The Samsung Zeal at least tries to be unique with its slick e-ink keyboard and dual flip design. Samsung has never been afraid to try something different, whether it was the first compact smartphones (the i500 and i600), a dual flip (the Alias) or a dual slider like the Exclaim. The e-ink concept is cool, and a year and a half later still works well. In phone (portrait) mode the keys are a bit awkward as the layout isn’t exactly ideal, but when used in the messaging mode the quick-switch nature makes e-ink ideal for alternate characters and flexibility.

The Samsung Zeal has unique dual flip design

The phone has special e-ink keyboard

Rattling off the other features of the Zeal - QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS, microSD expansion, QVGA display- and it could almost be any other feature phone on the market over the past few years. Because of this we are willing to compare the Zeal with newer devices on the market. More and more feature phones have touchscreens these days, but there is still a significant segment of the market that wants either a flip phone or a non-touch messaging device and because of this the Zeal still has a legitimate spot in Verizon’s lineup, even if the phone is a year and a half old.

The QWERTY keyboard

The sides of the Samsung Zeal

Back in the spring of 2009 we proclaimed the Alias 2 the coolest non-touch phone on Verizon. While that exception has grown much, much larger with the introduction of Android on Big Red, we might very well agree with this. With such a stagnant feature phone market the Zealand its trick keyboard still very much has a place in Verizon’s lineup.

The Samsung Zeal for Verizon Wireless is basically a renamed Samsung Alias 2, which was available last year. For more information about the handset, see our Samsung Alias 2 Review.

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